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The Boca Raton Tribune C O M M U N I T Y
PBSC celebrates more than 1,600 fall graduates
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Palm Beach State College celebrated more than 1,600 graduates during two fall commencement ceremonies on Dec. 20 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
“The knowledge you gained at PBSC will set a solid foundation for your future,’’ PBSC President Ava L. Parker, J.D., told the graduates while welcoming them and their family, friends and guests.
Attorney Gary Lesser, president of The Florida Bar and managing partner of West Palm Beach-based Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith PLLC, was the keynote speaker at the morning ceremony for the more than 900 Associate in Arts degree graduates. He likened the journey of life to a road trip and encouraged graduates, as they move forward, to look out for the road signs pointing to community and service.
Lesser encouraged the graduates to find causes that are meaningful to them and in line with their values. He stressed that everyone can make a difference. “One of the reasons why people don’t get involved in community organizations and charities is the mistaken belief that they can’t make a difference. That’s not true,” he said, adding that “all of us can get involved and make a difference in some way.”
State Rep. Kelly Skidmore, a PBSC alumna, was the keynote speaker at the afternoon ceremony for the more than 700 graduates of the Associate in Science, Bachelor of Applied Science and Bachelor of Science degree programs and the certificate programs.
She focused on the “resilience” of the U.S., the state and people throughout her remarks and lauded graduates for their perseverance and focus on their education during the COVID-19 pandemic. “All of you are the collective personification of human resilience,” she said. “Although it may have been forced upon you, being resilient, having resiliency or portraying resilience is an incredible attribute that will continue to serve you well as you grow and learn and evolve.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Inspires Boc a Raton Students D uring Recent Visit
On December 14, 2022, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, joined Jewish National Fund-USA, the Consulate General of Israel in Miami, and Katz Yeshiva High School (KYHS) in Boca Raton, to give an inspirational and infor mative speech to several hundred students regarding the importance of continuing strong relations between the United States and Israel.
Ambassador Herzog also briefed the students about the recent elections in Israel, as well as the concerning rise in antisemitism around the world and the need to have a united effort to fight it. He answered questions from the students and even took “selfies” with them, later touring the school and visiting classrooms — making this an unforgettable experience for the students.
“ K Y H S wa s t h r i l l e d t o h o s t A m b a s s ador Herzog for a full-school ass e m b l y, ” s a i d Rabbi Avi Levitt, Head of School. “We are thankf u l t h a t Je w i s h National FundU S A a r r a n g e d to have the Ambassador visit South Florida and elected to partner with us and our nearly 500 students, enabling these young adults to meet a man who exemplifies ser vice to the Jewish people.”
Loren and Eric Stein, Jewish National Fund-USA’s Co-Presidents of the South Palm Beach Board of Directors, were integral to organizing
the event. Loren Stein, a teacher at KYHS, also spoke to the students about the incredible work Jewish National Fund-USA is doing to support the land and people of Israel and how the school plans to create a JNF-USA club for students interested in philanthropy and connecting with other high school-aged supporters of Israel. “As the single largest provider of Israel engagement prog rams in the U.S., Jewish National Fund-USA offers numerous ways to connect young American Jews to Israel,” said Ltc. Zohar Vloski, the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael Jewish National Fund Israel Emissary. “We were delighted to help organize this event as part of our work to establish the next generation of Israel supporters.” H e r z o g wa s “KYHS was thrilled appointed Israel’s A m b a s s a d o r t o to host Ambassador the United States
Herzog for a full- in the summer of 2 0 2 1 by P r i m e school assembly,” Minister Naftasaid Rabbi Avi Levitt, li Bennett. He is a r e t i r e d I s r a e l
Head of School. Defense Forces B r i g a d i e r G e neral and has held senior positions in Israel’s Ministry of Defense. From 2009 to 2014, he served as Special Emissary to Israel’s Prime Minister in an effort to relaunch the Peace Process. Previously, Ambassador Herzog served as an International Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, and the Director of the Forum of Strategic Dialogue.
YMC A of South Palm Beach County Raises $2M at 50th Anniversar y Event
Boca Raton, FL – The YMCA of South Palm Beach County’s 50th Anniversary Gala held Dec. 3 at The Boca Raton hosted more than 700 people in attendance and raised a record-breaking $2 million for YMCA programs.
“We are so proud of the role that the Y has played in the transformation of the City of Boca Raton over the past 50 years and look forward to even big-
ger contributions to all ages of our community in the future,” said Terry Fedele, co-chair of the festivities along with her husband, Jerry. The half-century celebration was generously presented by Myrna Gordon Skurnick.
In addition to purchasing four muchneeded buses for the Y’s After School and Day Camp programs, funds raised through the gala will support the Myrna Gordon Skurnick Creative Arts Initiative for teens, the Robes Family LIVESTRONG Fund for cancer care programs and six legacy funds in honor of each of six key stakeholders recognized during the anniversary program for their generosity and leadership to the Y.
T he six leg acy honorees include Mary and Peter Blum, Helen and Richard DeVos, Christine and Eugene Lynn, Charlotte and Melvin Weaver, Henrietta Countess de Hoernle and William B. Ziff, Jr.
Driven by its founding mission, the YMCA has served as a leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening community for more than 175 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive.
The YMCA of South Palm Beach County serves as a community anchor in Palm Beach County by enriching lives and strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.
Comprising the YMCA of South Palm Beach County are The Peter Blum Family YMCA of Boca Raton, The DeVos-Blum Family YMCA of Boynton Beach, THE LAB: YMCA Leadership Academy and the YMCA@901 NCCI.
F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t YMCASPBC.org.
Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton to Speak at University ’s LeMieux Center for Public Polic y
The University’s LeMieux Center for Public Policy will host former White House National Security Advisor and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in the DeSantis Family Chapel.
Bolton ser ved as National Security Advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, and in that role, he championed a strong U.S. foreign and defense policy. He is recognized f o r h i s n a ti o nal-security influe n c e a n d p a s t experience, having served in the former presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
“A m b a s s ador Bolton is a l e a d i n g e x p e r t on foreign policy issues,” said L e M i e u x C e nter founder and f o r m e r U . S . Sen. Georg e S. L e M i e u x . “ H e has literally been i n t h e r o o m where it has happ e n e d f o r t h e past 40 years. We look forward to learning from his unique insights.”
During his recent White House tenure, Bolton scored policy victories, such as overseeing the administration’s withdrawal from the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran reached under former President Barack Obama. Bolton also served as a crucial force in strategic conversations with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, seeking broad concessions from him a b o u t h i s we a pons of mass destr uction. Bolton participated in key policy formulation on issues related to Russia, including strategic arms control, and on China.
A s t h e U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, Bolton defended American economic and security interests, as he did throughout his time at the State and Justice Departments. During his tenure, he voiced the need for the Security Council to take meaningful action
against international nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Along with France’s ambassador, Bolton led the Security Council to approve a unanimous resolution to end the summer 2006 Hezbollah war on Israel, to authorize UN peacekeepers and to create an arms embargo against Hezbollah. He also assembled an international coalition that blocked the bid of Hugo C h a ve z , Ve n ez u e l a ’s M a r x i s t s t r o n g m a n , t o join the Security Council. B o l t o n i s an advocate for h u m a n r i g h t s. While ser ving at the UN, he arr a n g e d t h e S ecurity Council’s f i r s t d e l i b e r ations on Burma’s h u m a n r i g h t s abuses. He invited actor George Clooney and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel to brief t h e S e c u r i t y Council in September 2006 on the mass murder of non-Arabs in D a r f u r, S u d a n . “ E ve r y d ay we delay only adds to the suffering of the Sudanese people and extends the genocide,” Bolton said. Released in June 2020, his book, The Room Where It Happened, is a White House memoir that is the most comprehensive and substantial account of the Trump administration, and one of the few to date by a top-level official. His op-ed articles have been featured “Ambassador Bolton in The Wall Street Journal, The New is a leading expert on Yo r k T i m e s a n d foreign policy issues,” other periodicals. Bolton is the said LeMieux Center latest in a series of founder and former high-ranking U.S. and inter national
U.S. Sen. George S. officials hosted by LeMieux. the LeMieux Center in recent years. They include 70th Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for mer British Prime M i n i s t e r To n y B l a i r, f o r m er W h i te House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah L. Birx and Admiral James Stavridis, NATO’s 16th Supreme Allied commander and 15th commander of the U.S. European Command.
Cancer delays but does not derail PBSC graduate’s plans
With a Child Development Associate certification and a College Credit Certificate in Pre-School, Tonia Williams Staten has been teaching since 2006 at the Achievement Centers for Children & Families in Delray Beach, but her long-term goal was to earn a degree.
Despite her initial struggles with a required math course, she was working toward her Associate in Science degree in Early Childhood Education at Palm Beach State College when she was diagnosed in 2014 with an aggressive breast cancer. It delayed, but it did not derail her plans to finish her degree.
“I just wanted more for myself,’’ Staten said, noting that she completed the CDA at PBSC in 2006 and the CCC in 2008. While undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments and surgery, she put school on hold. By the time she was in remission and enrolled in classes ag ain, the COVID-19 pandemic had hit, but she moved forward anyway.
“I’ve been taking two classes at a time since then, she said, noting that she also passed the math class.
Her goal was twofold. There is a move within the industry to get more early childhood teachers classified as “highly qualified,” plus the 55-year-old West Palm Beach native, who is oldest of four children, wants to set an example for her family. After graduating from high school in 1985, instead of pursuing a higher education, she got married and later divorced after experiencing domestic abuse.
She larg ely funded her education through the Seeking Excellence and Education through Knowledge (SEEK) scholarship program, which is dedicated to improving the quality of Palm Beach County early childhood education environments through staff development. It is funded by the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County and administered by PBSC
through the Institute of Excellence in Early Care & Education.
Her mom, sister and a brother are coming from Tallahassee to watch her cross the stage during the 2 p.m. commencement ceremony at the Palm Beach County Convention Center Dec. 20. Also in the audience will be her youngest brother, niece and her fiancé who live locally.
